The standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine has
increased Europe's quest for alternative suppliers of oil and
gas and Canada's exports to Europe have already started to pick
up in the last few months.

In September, oil sands giant Suncor exported its
first-ever cargo of Western Canadian crude to Europe, although
since then crude price differentials have narrowed and Suncor
said future shipments would depend on whether the economics were
favourable.

A recent EU decision to scrap a plan to label Canadian tar
sands oil as highly polluting has helped pave the way for more
Canadian exports to Europe.

Quebec hopes the development of new projects will allow it
to start exports of oils sands from 2017 and liquefied natural
gas (LNG) from 2018.

"People don't want to be stuck with the Russians any more.
So I think that there are some possibilities to export to
Europe," Quebec's minister of energy and natural resources
Pierre Arcand said in an interview on Monday.